


The Minimalist

by PrintDust



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 09:03:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2062149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrintDust/pseuds/PrintDust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Good morning, beautiful," Lori speaks softly so as not to startle the baby. "Happy Birthday," she sings, eliciting a sleepy smile that shows off four tiny pearled teeth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Minimalist

Fat beams of sunlight creep slowly across the floor as Lori eases the door open to her daughter's nursery. She is surprised that Judith has slept in so late; the little girl usually rises before the sun. Slipping inside the teal painted room, Lori sets her daughter's bottle on the shelf above the changing table before she approaches the beach-wood crib where her daughter is pulling herself up into a standing position.

"Good morning, beautiful," Lori speaks softly so as not to startle the baby. "Happy Birthday," she sings, eliciting a sleepy smile that shows off four tiny pearled teeth.

Judith giggles, wavering on her feet as she released her hold on the side of her crib and reaches for her mother, tiny fingers grasping at dead air. She lets out a high-squeal as Lori scoops her up from her bed and settles her on her hip.

"One-year-old already," Lori bounces Judith and starts toward the changing table where she has laid out her part dress. She winces as the baby's temperament suddenly shifts, tiny features twisting with frustration as she lets out a cry. "My goodness," she tilts her head to see what cold have possibly caused her daughter's distress. One pudgy arm reached out over her shoulder and she turned to find Judith pointing towards her crib.

"Did we forget Beanie?" she asked softly, lifting the cloth doll up by its ankle. The doll in question had been loved nearly to death in the last six months that her daughter had been clinging to it. Its yarn hair had become a tangled heap, twisted around its ribbon, and Lori had never quite been able to get the milk smell out of its dress. Judith didn't seem to mind the state of it at all as she accepted it from her mother and sunk her teeth into its shoulder.

"My little zombie," Lori laughed if only to keep from cringing at the thought of her daughter having the filthy thing in her mouth. "Come on then," she took the few steps towards the changing table and laid her daughter down. Judith's mossy green eyes searched the room around her as she waited patiently for Lori to finished changing and dressing her, Beanie secure in her grasp.

After brushing and baby's curls and securing them with a blue bow, Lori headed out into the hallway, fussing with the blue and white polka dot sundress and white leather sandals. As she passed the bathroom she and Judith traded Beanie for a pink toothbrush that the baby happily chewed on, though her eyes remained fixed on the doll in her mother's hand.

Before heading into the livingroom Lori wrapped her knuckles against the ladder that led up to the house loft where they'd finished a bedroom for Carl. "Carl," she called to her son. "Up, please. The part is starting in an hour." She waited for a few moments, listening for any sound from son, who had hit fourteen and morphed into a sleep-demon. "Carl," she called again, shifting Judith onto her other hip. "I mean it."

"I'm already up," Carl snapped. "God, you would think a guy could sleep in on a Saturday," he griped, the floorboards above her creaking as he stumbled around his room.

Ignoring his grumblings Lori headed into the living room where her husband was following her instructions and blowing up balloons. "Happy Birthday, Judy," he put his hands out to take the baby, letting the tied silver balloon in his hands float to the floor at his feet.

Lori passes her over, grinning at the expression on his face as he pressed kisses to each of their daughter's cheeks. "Don't get too distracted," she reminded him, turning towards the kitchen to finish getting the snacks ready. She froze as her daughter shrieked, and turned to find the baby twisting in her father's arms, reaching for the doll that Lori had forgotten she was holding. Sighing, Lori took the toothbrush back and handed the doll over, rolling her eyes at her husband's amused expression.

"This thing is filthy," she sighed, picking at the doll's hair. "Hopefully after today she will pick a new favourite and we'll be able to throw it in the g-a-r-b-a-g-e."

"Well, we got her enough to choose fro-," Rick's agreement was cut short when Judith forced Beanie's foot into his mouth. Lifting one eyebrow he shrugged at her disgusted impression, "Mmm, ta'fes like breffmiwk," he reported around the foot still jammed in his mouth.

"You're an animal," Lori huffed and went into the kitchen.

XXXX

Sinking into the couch beside her husband, Lori let out a long sigh and rested her cheek on Rick's shoulder, letting her eyes drift closed.

"Tired?" he asked, kissing her forehead lightly.

Lori nodded, humming softly, her eyes still closed to block out the disaster that was her living room. Her parents had outdone themselves again with gifts for Judith and it looked like a party store bomb had exploded, leaving wrapping paper and confetti debris in every corner of the room.

"You're not the only one," he nudged her, prompting her to open her eyes. Following the direction that he indicated with his chin, she spotted a pair of tiny feet, one missing its sandal. Rick got to his feet first, pulling her up with him, and together they tiptoed around balloons and half-eaten plates of cake until they reached an empty box that had been divested of a tricycle. Peering inside the box they followed lines of chubby legs to a dress flipped up to expose the patterned cover of a cloth diaper. One arm encircled the waist of Beanie whose hand acted as a pacifier, held carefully between the pink puckered lips of their deeply sleeping daughter.

"I've got her," Rick rubbed his wife's arm and lifted the baby girl, who folded easily into his arm, snuggling up against his chest. "Poor thing is dead to the world."

"And here I thought we were finally going to get rid of that thing," Lori nodded towards Beanie with its glassy eyes staring up at her, almost mockingly.

Rick shrugged, "I guess she is a minimalist," he surmised, leading the way towards Judith's room.

"Goodnight, Carl," Lori called up to her son as they passed the loft ladder, his music filtering down into the hallways.

"Night," the boy called, turning up the sound of a video game. "Night, Jude. Happy Birthday, again."

Smiling, Lori shook her head and followed Rick down the hall.


End file.
